It is Todd Pletcher day at Churchill Downs Friday. When he sent out Oonagh Maccool to an easy win in the $271,000 Louisville Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) for fillies and mares, the trainer was notching his fourth winner of the day...and that's from four races in which he had runners.

Favored Oonagh Maccool spotted her five rival fillies and mares a couple of lengths at the start of Saturday's $200,000 Rampart Handicap (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park but proved much the best in the drive to win easily at odds of 11-10.

Saturday's Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream Park will mark the first time First Samurai has traveled two turns and has gone 1 1/8 miles, but neither factor has trainer Frankie Brothers too concerned.

Bruce Lunsford and Lansdon Robbins III's 3-year-old First Samurai worked a mile in a strong 1:37 3/5 Friday morning at Gulfstream Park in preparation for the $300,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr.II) going 1 1/8 miles a week from tomorrow.

Favored My Typhoon overcame a sluggish start to open up a two-length lead in the stretch but was all out to hold off the furious charge of Isla Cozzene by a nose to win the $166,950 Mrs. Revere (gr. IIT) for 3-year-old fillies on the Churchill Downs turf Saturday.

Amid continued high buyer demand, the expanded Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale concluded Wednesday with the auction house posting across the board gains when compared to its two-day cataloguing last year. Held over three days, cumulative figures showed substantial improvement over the company's 2004 sale in gross, average, and median prices.

The Jockey Club released their Report of Mares Bred in 2005 Thursday morning and report that 58,739 mares were covered by 3,097 stallions this year. The released data is reports that have been received through Oct. 13.

There was a huge run on the market for sons and daughters of Storm Cat by the ultimate high-end buyers at the select sessions of the Keeneland September yearling sale. Leading the charge, of course, was the fall sale record $9.7 million bid by Sheikh Mohammed for a dark bay or brown colt by Storm Cat out of multiple grade I winner Tranquility Lake.

An anticipated stretch battle between the unbeaten colts First Samurai and Henny Hughes never materialized when prohibitive choice Henny Hughes offered no response in the $245,000 Hopeful (gr. I) for 2-year-olds Saturday at Saratoga Race Course.

A field of five juveniles has drawn in for Saturday's 101st running of the prestigious Hopeful Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga. Annexed last year by dual classic winner Afleet Alex, undefeated Henny Hughes and First Samurai lead this year's cast postward.

A fresh start was in order for the Irish-bred invader Naissance Royale, who began her career in France, and the 3-year-old filly responded brilliantly with a late surge to win in the $150,000 Lake Placid Handicap (gr. IIT) on the Saratoga lawn Friday.

Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky July yearling sale lost ground in the stretch Tuesday in Lexington, ending with small to moderate declines in gross revenue, average price, and median price. The buy-back rate increased significantly.

Fasig-Tipton has its largest catalogue ever for the Kentucky select yearling sale that begins Monday in Lexington. But when picky buyers finish whittling down their lists, there probably won't be a lot of horses that will bring the really big bucks.

Godolphin's champion Shamardal, who was retired from racing the eve of the July 2 Coral-Eclipse Stakes (Eng-I) because of a leg injury, will begin his stallion career at Darley Australia in the Hunter Valley region of Australia this year.

Martin Schwartz' Maids Causeway earned a short head victory over Stonerside Stable's homebred Karen's Caper Friday afternoon in the Coronation Stakes (Eng-I) at the Royal Ascot meeting at York. Mona Lisa finished 3 1/2 lengths back in third while favorite Cape Colombine was fourth.

A <a href="http://www.stallionregister.com/sr_sire_page.asp?refno=4297000&origin=BHonline&result=1" target="_blank">Giant's Causeway</a> filly broke the record for the Magic Millions National yearling auction when she sold for Aus$400,000 Thursday in Australia during the sale's opening session.

Disappointed at Epsom a day earlier, jockey Frankie Dettori rebounded Sunday when Godolphin's Shamardal tallied in the Prix du Jockey-Club (Fr-I), or French Derby, by a neck over favored Hurricane Run at Chantilly.

Last year's European champion 2-year-old colt Shamardal, considered a Kentucky Derby (gr. I) prospect for his new Godolphin team until he flopped in the UAE Derby (UAE-II) in March, bounced back in a big way Sunday at Longchamps, winning the Gainsborough Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Fr-I) in front-running style.

To bring high prices, 2-year-olds in training have to jump through a lot of hoops. They need to work fast, look good physically, and pass veterinary exams. Following are some of the horses that were generating positive buzz prior to Tuesday's Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training:

Giant's Causeway, Europe's Horse of the Year in 2000, did the expected and reigned as Europe's leading freshman sire of 2004. His four stakes winners included European champion male Shamardal and two other group winners. However, Giant's Causeway has yet to sire a stakes winner on the dirt in North America, leading to questions regarding his suitability as a sire for American racing conditions.

Few stallions have fit the modern commercial market better than Storm Cat. Seven times the leading sire of juveniles, he regularly gets quick, precocious runners, yet has demonstrated that with the right mare, he can throw a horse capable of getting the American classic distance of 10 furlongs. What can we say about the future as it pertains to Storm Cat as a sire of sires?

During Tuesday's session of the New Zealand Premier Sale at Karaka, people were watching with polite interest at the yearling parade through the sale ring. That was until someone let off the fireworks, which started when the big chestnut filly by boom stallion Giant's Causeway entered the ring.

The Coolmore stallion season auction to benefit the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia came to a close Tuesday with the international stallion farm raising more than $3.5 million for the relief effort headed by the International Red Cross.

Leading sires Storm Cat and A.P. Indy are among dozens of stallions whose seasons will be auctioned during a Dec. 3 event to raise money for KEEP -- the Kentucky Equine Education Project. The auction will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Lexington, Ky.

Sweet Catomine, who wrapped up an apparent Eclipse Award with a resounding victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30, may try to add an exclamation point to a brilliant year with a final start in the Hollywood Starlet (gr. I) on Dec. 19.

Group II stakes-placed Tumblebrutus, a full brother to prominent freshman sire Giant's Causeway, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at John T.L. Jones III and Robert Trussell's Walmac International near Lexington.

A German-bred colt by Montjeu colt consigned by Peter Kavanagh's Irish-based Kildaragh Stud topped day three of the Tattersalls October yearling sale in Newmarket Wednesday when realizing 320,000guineas (approx. $525,500).